STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Grand Canal Culture of China

"My name is Huo Qingyou and I am 65 years old. I grew up beside the grand canal and every morning I could hear the sound of chanting and my father getting up and starting to work."

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): HUO QINGYOU, Inheritor of painting

"The grand canal not only brought us up but taught us craftsmanship which is Yangliuqing painting. And now I am the inheritor of Yangliuqing New Year painting."

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): HUO QINGYOU, Inheritor of painting

"When I was young, I remembered the boat which brought us paper and dye paint. Our paintings could be shipped to north China's Tianjin to be sold. "

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): HUO QINGYOU, Inheritor of painting

"We can't paint if we don't have water of the Grand Canal."

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): HUO QINGYOU, Inheritor of painting

"Every family has the jar and the painting about fish was sellotaped on the wall and we can see the fish through the water of the jar. It has good wishes for Chinese. You can learn more about China culture through these Chinese new year paintings. "

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): GAO BINBIN, Curator, Yangliuqing Museum

"Yang Liuqing New Year paintings have five crafts which include cross out, carve, print, draw, and mount, It's my responsibility to inherit the great crafts. "

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): GAO BINBIN, Curator, Yangliuqing Museum

"I am the curator of Yangliuqing Museum, and the mansion is located beside the Grand Canal and it has long history."

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): GAO BINBIN, Curator, Yangliuqing Museum

"The mansion has 10,000 kilometers square and the bricks and stones are very exquisite and attract many tourists from all over the world."

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): GAO BINBIN, Curator, Yangliuqing Museum

"Many people are very interested in the mansion and you can learn more culture of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty of China - such as the model of boat and carriage model and China traditional opera culture."

SOUNDBITE(Chinese): GAO BINBIN, Curator, Yangliuqing Museum

"Because of these traditional cultures beside the Grand Canal, more than 400,000 people come here to visit every year. In the future, we will do more work and attract more tourists to enjoy Chinese Grand Canal culture."